Читать книгу Medicine and Surgery of Camelids - Группа авторов - Страница 50

Earring is a technique that can be used to eliminate movement (Figure 2.45). Earring can be done humanely. If it is done correctly, it does not cause pain, but suggests to the animal that if it does move, it might be painful. The author compares it to someone holding my earrings firmly in each hand. It would not hurt but she can promise you she is not going to move around for fear that the movement might cause pain. The process involves squeezing upwardly and not twisting the base of the ear. The process of earring should not be painful. Earring preoccupies the animal and makes him reluctant to move. Hurting an animal by twisting the ears causes a fight; it does not prevent one.

Earring should not be used as a primary method for controlling an animal, but as a last resort. Times when this technique may be useful include placing a microchip in the ear. The animal must be still until the microchip has been inserted and the tool removed from the ear. If the animal tosses his head at the wrong moment, the tool used to insert the microchip can rip the skin of the ear. It is not possible to follow the movement of the ear and allow freedom of the head for this procedure.

The animal can be prepared for the earring by stroking the ear from the base to the tip with the bottom edge of the hand. If the animal is nervous, strokes should be faster at first and then slow down. A neck wrap is an extremely helpful tool for this procedure. A mini‐catch pen or trailer is ideal. Grasp the base of the right ear and squeeze up firmly. Make sure that the nose is pointed forward, the head is in line over the neck, that the neck is in a comfortable angle and in line with the body, and that the body is in balance over the feet. In other words, make sure your animal is in balance.

Figure 2.45 Earring humanely requires that the ear be squeezed but never twisted.